Mac Studio M1 Ultra, 2022

Positioned between the compact Mac mini and the expandable Mac Pro, the Mac Studio signifies Apple's re-entry into the mid-size desktop market. This high-end stock model features the formidable 3.2 GHz Apple M1 Ultra processor, which is essentially two M1 Max chips interconnected via 'UltraFusion' technology. It delivers a 20-core CPU (16 performance, 4 efficiency), a 48-core GPU, a 32-core Neural Engine, and a dual Media Engine. The system is equipped with 64 GB of onboard RAM and a 1 TB SSD that, while not officially user-serviceable, can be removed. Front I/O is enhanced with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an SDXC (UHS-II) card slot. The rear panel includes four additional Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, 10-Gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) for wireless connectivity. The Mac Studio is sold as a standalone unit without peripherals.

The Mac Studio M1 Ultra has been universally acclaimed as a breakthrough in desktop computing performance. Reviews consistently highlight its exceptional multithreaded performance, with the highest Geekbench and Cinebench scores recorded at launch, all while maintaining remarkable thermal efficiency and near-silent operation. The UltraFusion technology successfully delivers close to doubled performance over the M1 Max in optimized applications. Professional video editors praise its ability to handle 8K video editing with ease, exporting 34-second 8K clips in just 23 seconds. The unified memory architecture with 64GB provides unprecedented capability for large creative projects, giving applications access to massive amounts of shared memory that traditional PC GPUs cannot match. Reviewers note it represents the ultimate performance computer for creative professionals who demand workstation-class capabilities in a compact form factor.